MINNEAPOLIS – Dodgers fans without Time Warner Cable have been seeing red all season. But the 30 percent or so of Southern California with access to SportsNet LA will really see Red on Thursday.

The Dodgers are expected to use the 26th-man roster exemption for doubleheaders to call up right-hander Red Patterson from Triple-A Albuquerque and start him in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader against the Minnesoto Twins.

Patterson, 26, is a bit of a surprise choice. A 29th-round draft pick out of Southwest Oklahoma State in 2010, Patterson was 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA in four starts for Albuquerque this season after being a non-roster invitee to spring training with the Dodgers for the first time. He is still not on the 40-man roster and the Dodgers will have to make a move to add him if he is their choice to start against the Twins.

Right-hander Dan Haren will start the first game and the Dodgers could have started Josh Beckett in the second game on five days rest. But that would create a need for a starter Sunday in Miami – when no 26th-man roster exemption will be available.

“We’re definitely going to take advantage of the 26th man rule tomorrow so we don’t have to throw two of our guys on the same day and we can keep our rotation intact,” Dodgers manager Don Mattingly said, remaining circumspect to the end about the identity of that 26th man.

By keeping the rotation intact, right-hander Zack Greinke will be on schedule to make his next start Monday in Washington D.C. That puts Clayton Kershaw in line to make his return to the rotation on Tuesday against the Nationals.

Kershaw went five innings for Double-A Chattanooga in his second rehab start Wednesday night, throwing 86 pitches in that time (thanks to three errors behind him in the first two innings). He struck out nine and allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits and two walks.

“I think it went all right. I got my pitch count up there,” Kershaw told reporters in Chattanooga. “I would have liked to get through six or seven (innings). But the goal was to get the pitch count up there.

“It's always hard when pitch counts are in the back of your mind. But the goal is to get the pitch count up there so that I'll be ready to throw 100-plus pitches in the big leagues. At the same time, you're trying to compete, too. It's a little bit of a balance. But fortunately for me, I'm done with that and I can just go out there and pitch now.”

CATCHER MOVE

The Dodgers made a roster move at catcher aimed at getting more offense from the position – and got a multi-hit game from the catcher not involved (Drew Butera).

Before the game, Tim Federowicz was sent back to Albuquerque and veteran Miguel Olivo was promoted. Olivo led the Isotopes with a .390 average in 15 games. The Dodgers, meanwhile, went into Wednesday’s game getting less offense out of their catchers than any team in baseball – a situation that only worsened when A.J. Ellis went on the DL following knee surgery. Through 26 games, Dodgers catchers ranked last in the majors in batting average (.143), on-base percentage (.228), slugging percentage (.165), OPS (.393), home runs (0), RBI (1) and total bases (15).

“I’m not sure it’s something we would have done if we were out here putting all kinds of runs on the board and swinging the bats,” Mattingly said. “But we haven’t been scoring many runs and not really getting anything from that position.”

With Ellis expected to miss 4-6 weeks, Federowicz saw this as an opportunity to prove his readiness to be an everyday catcher at the major league level. In 13 starts, though, he was 5 for 46 (.109) with three errors.

Butera wasn’t much better – but is out of options and cannot be sent to the minors without being exposed on waivers first. He raised his average to .231 with two hits Wednesday.

“I think he did try to do too much. He basically said as much,” Mattingly said of Federowicz. “I also look at Fed – and I talked to him about this today – it’s a lot like Dee (Gordon). It’s part of the process for a young player. Coming in, getting their chance, it either works or it doesn’t work – very few of them are able to take the job and run with it and never have to go back down. It’s very seldom you see what Yasiel (Puig) has been able to do, kind of take the game by storm.”

In order to clear a 40-man roster spot for Olivo (who was signed to a minor league deal in the winter), the Dodgers moved right-hander Chad Billingsley to the 60-day DL. A setback in Billingsley’s recovery from Tommy John surgery – he received a platelet-rich plasma injection to treat tendinitis in his elbow last week – made it clear he would not be back in less than 60 days.

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